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Our latest blog posts…
Reason 4: Real talk — the world is paperless (and so are standardized tests)
Across the district, students are deep into the spring assessment process. Tensions are high and anxieties are piqued just at the height of the stakes of standardized testing. You would almost think this was the ultimate goal of education. To add to the general sense...
New Page Just for Google Help!
https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/techcoaches/google-tips-and-tricks/The Tech Coaches have been busy creating a new page for our blog, entitled Google Tips and Tricks. This page is arranged by Google app, and is loaded with tips and tricks for teachers using Google Apps for Education. Some information provided includes: How to print...
Revolutionizing Learning in Mme. Katzman’s French Classes
Over the past several years, Edsel Ford teacher Cheri Katzman has been working to revolutionize learning in her French classes by integrating technology into nearly everything she and her students do. Students in Madame Katzman's classes use Chromebooks and Google...
Stout Middle School: A Technology Integration Profile
Teachers in buildings across the district are integrating technology in a variety of ways. Here's a quick look at how one building -- Stout Middle School -- is using technology to create emerging opportunities for students: Leon Vietinghoff's Blog. If you haven't...
Come ‘Hangout’ With Us!
By now, you have (hopefully) heard about our upcoming Coaches' Corner session on Moodle (iLearn) quizzes. If you are interested in joining our session and would like to be an active participant from the comfort of your own classroom, then sign up today! We have...
Transforming PD so you can transform learning
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The charge of the Tech Coaches is to support teachers as they seek to integrate technology into their instruction for the ultimate benefit of students. But as teachers ourselves, we both know that time for learning new things is at a premium--and that there's really...
Google Hangouts is the New Skype!
All around the district, Dearborn students and staff are utilizing Google Hangouts. So what, exactly, IS a Google Hangout? What you can do with Hangouts? Send messages Make video calls Share photos, locations, and stickers And more! So what have people around...
Working through the technology glitches in your classroom
"Teachers often view technology glitches as reasons to stop planned lessons. Yet when glitches happen in a lesson without technology, teachers rarely give up. No activity or computer experience is so vital to one day's learning that it cannot be adjusted or...
Ms. Pas & Ms. Masiarczyk help students begin their ePortfolio journeys
Today, students in Diane Pas and Teresa Masiarczyk's science classes at Smith began working on their Mahara ePortfolio pages for their Earth Science unit. Ms. Pas & Ms. Masiarczyk began by introducing students to Mahara with a Google Doc posted on their Google...
New and Improved Step Sheet for Digital Annotation (Close Reading)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HOVfefCAhbJlaCaN29oZ8bJf5AYm7S97YtMJ9q5DmkQ/edit?usp=sharingDue to the popular demand of the digital annotation strategy, the Tech Coaches have updated the step sheet for the process of digital close reading. You can find it on the "How Do I?" page, at the bottom, under "Other Tools." We have also added a step sheet for...
Mr. Bloye’s Mega-Moodle Course
Because Moodle is the most versatile tool available in allowing teachers to make resources available and to allow students to interact with the content digitally, many teachers are now using Moodle (iLearn) as their online launch pad. One teacher who is maximizing the...
Google Docs PD
Yesterday, the Tech Coaches went live online with our first Tech Coaches' Corner on Air. This will be an ongoing segment of our recurring Tech Coaches' Corner sessions. This mode comes with a few benefits: teachers can participate without having to go anywhere, and...
Using rubrics to give feedback on iLearn (Moodle)
One of my favorite features of iLearn (Moodle) is the ability to use rubrics for grading pretty much any type of assignment. Once an assignment is created, teachers can create a rubric of their own or adopt one of the several already-published rubrics available. They...
LIVE Event: Tech Coaches’ Corner on Air
You're invited to join us for the LIVE stream of the next Coaches' Corner session this coming Tuesday 3/8 at 2:30 and 3:30! Learn how to use Google Docs and Google Drive from the comforts of your own classroom (or from home if you drive fast) as the Tech Coaches walk...
Digital Close Reading: Paperless Annotating
What is Close Reading? The latest strategy in reading comprehension is called "Close reading," or annotating text. The idea is that students read a selection with a pen, making annotations (notes) to help them better understand the text. Because students are...
Woodworth ELA Teachers are helping students practice for the M-Step using iLearn
Yesterday, I met with a team of ELA teachers from Woodworth Middle School who wanted to make M-Step practice easier and and more accessible to their students on iLearn (Moodle). These teachers, including Suria Ali-Ahmed, Dr. Mona Jalloul, and Salwa Mawari learned how...
Transforming the Writing Process with Google Classroom
Last week, I met with language arts teachers Lindsay Diem and Susan Basom-Juchau to talk about ideas for integrating technology into their upcoming MAISA unit. Since Diem and Basom-Juchau are already utilizing Google Classroom with their students, we talked about how...
Transforming Assessment with iLearn (Moodle)
During the current school year, over 40 teachers have begun to use, or ramped-up their use of Moodle (what Dearborn calls iLearn) in their classroom. One of these teachers is Nicole Laramee, science and social studies teacher at Woodworth Middle School. Ms. Laramee...
iLearn (Moodle) in 5th Grade: Part 2
Monica Hankins is a 5th grade teacher at Whitmore-Bolles. She attended the Dearborn Moodle Moot this summer, and began tinkering with iLearn (Moodle). Since then, she has created some pretty fantastic online learning experiences for her students, and her Moodle...
Coaches’ Corner Tech Talk: Promethean Board Tips and Tricks
Our next Coaches' Corner Tech Talk will be held on Wednesday, February 10th from 3:00-4:00 and 4:00-5:00 in the Team Room at Stout Middle School. The Team Room is located in the back of the school, next to the east parking lot. Some of the topics we'll cover:...
Signing into Chrome
By now, most of us are using Chrome as our default browser. And if you're not, you should! Chrome is the best browser choice when working with Google apps, such as Docs, Sheets and Forms. One helpful feature of Chrome is that it allows you to sign in. Why sign in?...
Technology for Lifelong Learning
Our Goal
The goal of instructional technology coaches is to help teachers become effective at using technology to provide the most technology-rich, positive learning environments possible. To this end, we believe effective teachers…
- Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.
- Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments.
- Model digital age work and learning.
- Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility.
- Engage in professional growth and leadership.
from Standards for Teachers.
